Almost 80 percent of the fines are charged to trucks with a foreign license plate. The Netherlands, Poland and Spain take the cake. It is striking that 5.1 million euros, or more than a quarter of the fines, have not yet been paid. Spain in particular has a high outstanding amount.
“A foreign license plate should not be a free pass to avoid paying a fine. Mobile teams must be able to intervene even faster if foreign trucks with outstanding fines enter our territory again,” says Flemish faction leader Peter Van Rompuy, who requested the figures from Finance Minister Matthias Diependaele (N-VA). “The Flemish tax authorities, together with Viapass (the manager of the tax system, ed.), must focus on increasing the effectiveness of enforcement.”
Not only the fines set a record, but also the kilometer charge itself. An analysis by Van Rompuy shows that Flanders will receive 565 million euros in 2023.